Libya: Holy See Backs U.N. Led Offensive

Cardinal Pietro Parolin Says Armed Intervention Must Be Subject to International Law

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On the occasion of the anniversary of the Lateran Treaty, the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, met with Italian president Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

Also present was the Italian Foreign Minister, Paolo Gentiloni and Defense Minister, Roberta Pinotti. The major topic of discussion was the crisis in Libya and the threat of terrorism facing the Italian Republic.

Regarding the Islamic State’s advance in Libya, Cardinal Parolin said that “it is necessary to interview soon, but under the umbrella of the United Nations. According to Vatican Radio, the Secretary of State to the Holy See explained that a wide international consensus is necessary.

Several local media agencies reported that at the end of the bilateral meeting, Cardinal Parolin asserted that “any armed intervention must be subject to International Law; therefore, there must be an initiative of the UN.”

“There is a threat. The situation is grave and requires a unanimous response by the international community. The response must be rapid, the most rapid possible by the United Nations,” he added.

The Cardinal’s statements were made in the midst of a nationwide debate in on the need for a possible military intervention in Libya. The Italian government closed its Embassy in Tripoli and repatriated Italians residing in the country.

For his part, Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi appealed to the international community on Tuesday, to approve a Resolution in the United Nations Security Council to launch an international coalition that would attack the positions of the Jihadist group in Libya.

“There is no other option,” said the Egyptian President in an interview on France 1 radio station, days after the militiamen of the Libyan branch of DAESH (Arabic acronym of the Islamic State) decapitated 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians.

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